MATCH PREVIEW | OXFORD CITY V FARNBOROUGH
After earning a solid point at Dartford, Oxford City will be looking to consolidate their Vanarama National League South play-off spot with a win, as they welcome Farnborough to the RAW Charging Stadium.
COUNTDOWN TO KICK-OFF
Last week against Dartford, the Hoops battled hard to secure a point at Princes Park in what was a competitive encounter between the two promotion hopefuls. The result saw them move up to third in the league whilst extending their unbeaten streak in 2023.
With their unbeaten run still intact, City will look to return to winning ways against a Farnborough side coming off of a draw with league leaders Ebbsfleet United and dark horses for the play-offs.
LAST TIME OUT:
In the reverse fixture between the two sides, it was Boro who came away with the three points with a 2-1 victory at Cherrywood Road in October in a game where the Hoops struggled to make a mark on the game.
Farnborough went into the break with a 2-0 lead over City following a first half brace from former striker Hisham Kasimu who has since joined League Two Sutton United.
Ross Jenkins’ side came flying out of the traps in the second in pursuit of a way back into the game and were later rewarded just that following a Jayden Carbon strike – his first goal in Oxford colours. However, Farnborough would hold onto their lead and eventually see out the three points on the day.
City have come a long way since the last meeting solidifying themselves in play-off contention and will be hoping to get the better of their opponents on home turf this time out.
FORM:
OXFORD CITY
Form: W W W D D
Unlike how some may have perceived the 1-1 draw away at Taunton Town as a blip in Oxford’s form, the Dartford result can be more indicative of the competitive mentality City have shown in their unbeaten run of 2023.
A visit to Princes Park was always going to be challenging. In a hard-fought battle between the two sides, the Hoops were able to avoid defeat once again in a game of half-chances where some may feel the visitors could have capitalised more and taken all three points.
The two draws followed strong run in itself of five wins on the bounce for the Oxfordshire side which only consolidated the side’s position towards the summit of the league table.
The point against the Darts saw Jenkins’ men climb to third in the league – albeit having played twice more than fourth-placed Havant & Waterlooville. There can be no doubt that the confidence within the squad remains heading into the latter stages of the season as they seek another positive result on Saturday.
FARNBOROUGH
Form: W L W L D
In Farnborough’s case, their last five VNLS results have been mixed.
In this period, Spencer Day’s side have won two, lost two and drawn once. The spell saw Boro take all three points against
both Taunton Town and Weymouth, however, were defeated by Eastbourne Borough and suffered a narrow defeat at home to Braintree Town.
Despite the club currently sitting 11th in the league, Farnborough have proven to be a solid side in the division. Prior to a narrow defeat at home to Hemel Hempstead at the end of January, the Yellows had been on a tremendous unbeaten run of 13 games – a run that includes wins over both Hoops and Dartford.
Despite Tuesday night’s draw against Ebbsfleet, Eastbourne Borough’s victory over Taunton saw them leapfrog Farnborough.
However, as has been the narrative for most of the season, Day’s men have played less games than the sides around them having played 31 times so far. A result in Oxford could create promise in the hope of capitalising on their games in hand.
ONE TO WATCH: Mason Bloomfield
Following the departure of Hishan Kasimu (the club’s top scorer this season with nine league goals) the Hampshire club made recruitments to reinforce their attacking options.
Amongst those is Mason Bloomfield who since joining in January 2023 has netted six times in ten appearances so far in the VNLS. The 26-year-old’s numbers since joining mean he could be the side’s main attacking outlet in this fixture for the visitors.
The forward has experienced Wembley glory with his former club, Bromley, winning the FA Trophy in a win over Wrexham last season before completing a move to the VNLS with Farnborough.
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